


Clearance Revoked

by SailorChibi



Series: Co-Pilots [4]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Android Jarvis (Iron Man movies), Angst with a Happy Ending, Angst with feels, Anxiety Attacks, BAMF Tony Stark, Bottom Tony, Bottom Tony Stark, Cuddling, Drugs, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Extremis, First Time Penetration, First Time Topping, Handwavy Science, Human Jarvis (Iron Man movies), Interventions, JARVIS loves Tony, Jarvis (Iron Man movies) Lives, Jarvis lives, Jumping to Conclusions, Kidnapping, Kissing, M/M, Panic Attacks, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Post-Infinity Wars, Protective Bucky Barnes, Protective Jarvis (Iron Man movies), Protective Tony Stark, Stubborn Steve Rogers, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Gets a Hug, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, but close enough, but they are so far off track, ends with sex, happyish ending, he's not really an adroid, hold on to your good things tony, massive stepping over of boundaries, mild description of a fight, no spoilers for infinity wars tho, showering together, steve rogers thinks he knows best, that are super not okay, the invasive kind of interventions, the team is very suspicious, the team means well, tony needs to set boundaries, top jarvis, top jarvis (iron man movies), why does everyone want to take good things from tony
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-30
Updated: 2017-01-30
Packaged: 2018-09-20 20:27:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9512345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorChibi/pseuds/SailorChibi
Summary: Believing that Loki has brainwashed Tony, the team kidnap Jarvis, drugs Tony and stage an intervention. Tony is not happy and kicks ass - though he didn't count on having Barnes as a co-rescuer.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I am physically incapable of keeping anything short _oh my god_. I wasn't 100% sold on taking the series this way, but the idea just wouldn't leave me alone.

Jarvis is gone.

It's the first thing Tony notices when he wakes up in his workshop that morning. Well, that's not 100% true: actually, the first thing he notices is that he's really too old to be sleeping at his desk because his neck is sending bolts of pain down his back. And the second thing he notices is that he's still in the workshop, which makes no sense whatsoever because ever since Jarvis returned he's insisted that Tony join him in bed every night, even if it's just for a couple of hours. So the fact that Jarvis didn't come collect him is beyond weird.

Basically, the fact that Jarvis is gone is the third thing Tony notices. That, and FRIDAY's glaring absence.

"FRIDAY?" Tony says, straightening up slowly. Wow, yeah, that hurts. He puts a hand to the back of his neck, rubbing at the strained muscles.

FRIDAY doesn't answer.

"FRIDAY?" he says again, a little louder and more insistent. When she still doesn't respond, he fumbles his phone out of his pocket and tries to call Jarvis. But there's no answer.

A little more worried now, Tony gets up and heads out of the workshop at a run. The elevator still works without an A.I.'s input, but he has to code it manually. He puts in the code for their floor, hoping against hope that maybe Jarvis fell asleep in bed. Hey - the guy is technically human now, or at least partially human. And they've discovered that while he can go without sleep for much longer than a regular human can (and oh, does Tony ever envy him for that), he functions better with sleep because his body will still give out on him eventually.

But the bedroom is empty. He stands in the doorway and looks at their untouched bed, frozen. Jarvis is gone. It's fear and panic mingled together, because this is everything that Tony's been afraid of ever since he woke up to find Loki and a stranger standing in his workshop. He blames that reaction for the reason why the person behind him gets the jump on him, stabbing a needle into the side of Tony's neck. The drug takes over before Tony can do much more than jab an elbow backwards, and he collapses.

"Stark. Stark, wake up."

Fingers tap at the side of his face, accompanied by the voice. Trying to push the hand away yields no results. It's like his body is too heavy and he can't muster the strength to lift his hands. As more awareness seeps in, Tony realizes that his mouth is ferociously dry and his head hurts. He remembers this feeling a little too well, even though the last time he was drugged unconscious was back in university. Back then, a couple of sorority boys had been looking for a good time. He doesn't think the answer is going to be so simple this time.

"Stark. Come on. Your breathing changed. I know you're awake."

Is that... Clint? Tony forces his eyes to open, which takes so much more effort than it should. It takes a few seconds for his eyes to focus. Sure enough, Clint is leaning over him. His immediate thought is that they've both been kidnapped, but.... when he looks past Clint, that conclusion makes no sense. No enemy in their right mind would ever keep an Avenger prisoner in a hotel room. Especially one with a huge window like that. 

He tries to ask what's going on, but all that comes out is a croak.

"Give it a couple of minutes and you can have a drink," Clint says. "I don't want you throwing up on me."

Tony wants to tell him to fuck off, but his tongue still isn't cooperating. It doesn't matter. Clint's phone rings and he turns away from Tony, getting up and walking into the bathroom. Clearly he doesn't want Tony to overhear what he's saying, which just makes Tony want to listen that much more. Something about this situation is very off, and Tony's not going to just lay here and take it.

By the time that Clint comes back out of the bathroom, the drugs have worn off considerably and Tony is capable of moving, albeit very sluggishly. True to his word, Clint gives him a glass of water from the bathroom sink. The water is warm and tastes overly chemically, but it's the best thing Tony's had for a long time. It soothes the dryness of his throat and goes a long way towards clearing his head. Finally, it feels like he can actually think again. He drinks the whole glass and only pride keeps him from asking for more.

"What the fuck is going on here?" he says the instant the water is gone, lowering the glass. 

"We're staging an intervention," says Clint, taking the glass and setting it out of Tony's reach. "You've been brainwashed."

Tony just stares at him. "Excuse me?"

"It's okay. Nat, Steve and I figured it out. Loki brainwashed you to think that JARVIS was back." Clint looks very earnest. "And you wanted to believe that. We get it. We're not really sure what Loki's plan is yet, but it can't spell anything good."

"Loki didn't brainwash me!"

"I know you think that way now, but once that imposter is gone -"

Tony's blood runs cold. "What?"

"- you'll feel differently," Clint says, as though Tony hadn't spoken. "You'll feel like your old self again. I've been there. I know how everything can feel completely right and normal when you're under his influence. You don't even realize that anything is wrong until the control is gone. Just wait until they get rid of the problem." He actually pats Tony's hand. "Steve thought that since I knew what it was like, it would be better if I was here with you."

His first instinct is to punch Clint in the face, but Tony tamps it down. He's still feeling weak and dizzy, and he's hard-pressed to beat Natasha or Clint in hand-to-hand combat on his best day. His mind races, stringing facts together. Fact: Natasha and Steve took Jarvis. Fact: they believe he's a by-product of Loki's magic. Fact: Clint had mentioned getting rid of a problem. Fact: none of them had seen Loki in weeks. Fact: that meant they were intending to kill Jarvis. The panic looming in the back of his mind surges forward. Tony's breath catches in his chest and he chokes on his next exhale. 

"Tony, hey. It's fine. You're gonna be okay."

"Fuck you," Tony snarls around tightness in his throat. 

Clint sighs. "You don't have to be like that, man," he said patronizingly. "It won't be much longer."

That means Tony doesn't have long to figure something out. The thought of having to re-adjust to life without Jarvis buzzes in the back of his head, but he can't think of something like that now. Instead, he assesses the situation. Predictably, there's no tech left anywhere on his body. Even his watch is gone. Clint knows him too well. Too bad, Tony could really do with putting a repulsor blast in Clint’s ass right now.

However, there is a television remote on the nightstand. He clears his throat and swallows his pride and asks Clint for another glass of water. Clint looks all sympathetic and pats his knee this time, which is _really_ annoying. When he goes to get it, Tony grabs the remote and stuffs it under the pillow. He's not sure what he's going to do with it yet, but it's a step in the right direction.

He drinks the water when Clint brings it back, because the glass is a potential weapon too. It grates a little that Clint doesn't consider him dangerous enough to be tied up. For all Clint knows, Tony really is brainwashed and has some magic or super strength now. Then again, he's not sure why the fact that he's being underestimated _again_ surprises him after all this time. No matter what he does, people think he's worth nothing. Frankly it's astonishing that Clint bothered to take his technology away.

Well, almost everyone. Jarvis, for some reason Tony hasn't identified yet, thinks he's worth it. The thought of Jarvis makes the panic surge again. He shoves it down. He can have a panic attack later. Right now, he needs to do something. He ducks his head though, letting his breathing go a little shuddery, and looks up at Clint through his fringe.

“Could you open the window?” he says. He doesn’t have to try too hard to make his voice quivery. “I need some fresh air.”

“Sure. But I should warn you, we’re on the fifth floor.”

“Okay,” Tony says, like that really makes a difference. He’s jumped out windows from higher floors. Granted, then he could be sure that the suit would catch him. FRIDAY is still down – and fuck knows what they’ve done to her, tampered with her somehow, and doesn’t that just increase Tony’s fury – so that means the armor probably won’t come, but Tony would still try it rather than be trapped here.

Clint turns away, turns his back, and puts both hands on the latch to the window. Tony makes his move. Everyone (and by everyone, he means Clint) used to like to tease him that the armor did all of his targeting. And that’s true to a certain degree, but Tony’s been making weapons since before he was tall enough to see over the dinner table. He learned how to shoot a gun with terrifying accuracy before he was out of kindergarten.

The glass hits the back of Clint’s head with perfect accuracy and shatters. Clint goes down instantly into a crumpled heap. Tony sits there for a few seconds, breathing heavily, because even that little bit of effort was exhausting. He wipes the sweat from his forehead and slowly inches to the edge of the bed, standing on shaky feet. God, his legs feel like rubber. Whatever was in that drug that Clint hit him with is stronger than he realized.

He makes his way over to Clint. From this angle, he can see that Clint is breathing just fine. Carefully, Tony bends down and grabs Clint’s phone from his pocket. It’s password protected, but it’s laughably easy to hack into it anyway. He gets into the tower’s mainframe. He’ll need to be on site to reboot FRIDAY, but he can still access the video footage of everything that happened before she went offline. It takes a matter of seconds to find what he wants. 

At shortly after nine the night before, Jarvis can be seen leaving the tower. He doesn't get more than a handful of steps before they attack him: two very familiar figures dressed entirely in black, one from the right and one from the left. Rage rushes through Tony as Steve grabs Jarvis around the upper body, holding him still long enough for Natasha to stab the needle into his neck. Jarvis goes limp immediately, probably not even fully understanding what's happening to him. Steve slings Jarvis's unconscious body over his shoulder and he and Natasha hurry over to a parked car. The camera loses them when they drive off screen.

For a moment, Tony can hardly breathe through his rage. How dare they? 

"I should've hit you harder," he snarls at Clint, half-tempted to kick Clint in the side. Only the thought that he needs to find Jarvis _now_ stops him. His hands shake as he thinks over his next move. It doesn't take long for the obvious to occur. Clint has a new Starkphone, and he would bet his entire fortune that Steve and Natasha also went out and bought new Starkphones after Jarvis crashed their old phones. After all, Tony's technology is the best on the market right now.

That means he knows exactly how to find out where Steve and Natasha are right now. All he has to do is turn on the GPS for their phones. And conveniently, their new numbers are located right in Clint's contact list. It's almost child's play at that point. In less than ten minutes - and it would be less if his fingers would stop trembling - Tony knows where they are.

And they're still in the city.

Stupid on their part, but he figures that both of them wanted to be able to get back to Clint and Tony quickly. As though Tony was going to greet them with open arms after they killed Jarvis. The thought makes a choked laugh spill from his lips, though it turns too quickly into a sob.

He checks the room until he finds his phone and his watch. Then he leaves Clint on the floor and heads for the elevator. His legs feel more steady and sure underneath him the further he gets from the hotel room, but he still calls a cab rather than tackle the twenty blocks on his own. Time is probably running out, especially since he's not really sure what Steve and Natasha are waiting for. Information, maybe? But they must know that waiting for Jarvis to wake up is a death sentence - unless they don't know about extremis. Tony definitely didn't tell them, and he's not sure that Vision would've either.

The cab lets him off in front of a very nice apartment building. The first person Tony sees is Barnes, standing right in the middle of the sidewalk and looking up at the building with an unreadable expression. Instinctively Tony touches his watch, pulling the repulsor glove over his hand. It worked on Barnes once and he's modified it since so that it's stronger. Still not a fair fight out of the suit, but it's the best that Tony's got at the moment.

"Stark," Barnes says, not even glancing Tony's way, "put your toy away. We're both here for the same reason."

"And what would that be?" Tony says, keeping his distance. He has no desire to be drugged again.

"I know what brainwashing and mind control look like." Barnes finally looks at him. "You ain't. Soon as I figured out what these two were up to, I came here to stop it. They're waiting on me right now, thinking I want to help with their dumbass plan."

"How do I know you're not just trying to play me?"

Barnes actually snorts. "Believe whatever you want. Hit me. Knock me unconscious and leave me down here. But I don't know how far you're gonna get past them with just that." He nods at the glove. "Against one of 'em maybe, but both?"

Damn it all, but Barnes is right. That doesn't stop Tony from sneering. "And if you have a sudden change of heart? Then I have to deal with three of you."

"It's your choice. But the way I figure, I got a lot of making up to do." Barnes isn't smiling. "I know you don't wanna hear it, but I'm sorry."

"You're right. I don't want to hear it." Tony walks past him, the traffic roaring in his ears (he can see his mother's face in his mind's eye, and it _hurts_.) The door doesn't open when he tries the knob and for a moment he just stands there, choking on it all.

Then a foot comes up an inch from his nose and kicks the door in. "Come on, Stark," Barnes says, not touching him - thank god, not touching him - but edging past. 

Blindly, Tony follows him up the stairs. Barnes seems to know where he's going and it occurs to Tony, somewhat belatedly, that Barnes has definitely been here before. But he doesn't really get why until they get to the fifth floor and Barnes kicks down the door of apartment 5-H. The first glimpse Tony gets is of a nice, if small, apartment that practically screams Steve Rogers. This is Steve's apartment, he realizes slowly. As in, an actual apartment that Steve has been renting, even if he hasn't been here for a while if the dust on the floor is any indication.

Natasha is the first one out the bedroom door, but Steve is close on her heels. Barnes goes for the both of them, face set in a grim expression that sends chills down Tony's spine. Amidst the crashing and swearing, he sneaks by and slips into the bedroom. His heart starts to pound as he catches sight of Jarvis, lying so still and so quiet on the bed. For a split second, he actually thinks that they might be too late and the world grays out around him.

But then he sees the subtle movement of Jarvis's chest and the relief hit hard, weakening his knees. Tony staggers over to the bed and sits down hard, breathless like someone just punched him in the throat. He puts a hand on Jarvis's arm just to feel the familiar, warm skin. Jarvis doesn't move under the touch, which maybe isn't that surprising. Who knows what Natasha drugged him with, and Jarvis doesn't exactly have any built-up resistance to medication like Tony does. He could be out for another couple of hours at least.

Knowing that Jarvis is safe, the last thing Tony wants to do is leave him. But he has to. He forces himself up and to the doorway. Natasha is just peeling herself off the floor. Barnes has Steve in a headlock; Steve is flailing his arms, trying to escape without hurting Barnes, but it looks like they're just about evenly matched. Natasha goes to throw herself on Barnes's back and Tony's had enough of this shitshow. Without any hesitation whatsoever, he powers up the repulsor and aims it at the floor just in front of the three of them. The resulting blast definitely gets their attention and suddenly Tony is the focus of the room.

"You all," he says, raspy and furious, "can go fuck yourselves."

"Tony!" Steve blurts out. He tries to stand up straight and Barnes lets him, hands sliding off of Steve, which may or may not be a mistake. He stands between Steve and Natasha, not interfering, but tense.

"Don't," Tony says, pointing at him.

Predictably, Steve ignores the warning. "You don't understand, Tony. Loki can't be trusted. Obviously this is a trick of some kind! You're under Loki's influence. We're just trying to help you."

Tony laughs. He can't help it. "Help me? Are you listening to yourself? The person who has hurt me more in the past three years than anyone else combined wants to help." He nods. "Yeah, that makes perfect sense."

Steve winces. "I know things haven't been good between us, but I'm trying to protect you," he says resolutely, looking so fucking earnest that Tony just wants to repulsor his face. "That's not JARVIS. I know you think that it is, but it's not."

"How would you know?" Tony says. "You didn't know anything about him."

"I know that Loki -"

"Oh my fucking god, would you give it a rest about Loki? Guy did me a solid because I was willing to work with him, Cap. That doesn't mean he's magically influenced me," Tony snaps. "It definitely does not give you the right to kidnap me _and_ Jarvis, especially after Vision, Wanda _and Thor_ all said that Jarvis was clean!"

"You know what Thor is like," Natasha says softly. "He's misguided when it comes to Loki. He might not see everything there is to see." 

"And your solution was to what? Kill Jarvis and see what happened?" 

"What? No!" Steve says. "We were trying to get Loki to appear. Jane found this summoning spell - well she wasn't really sure it would work, but we wanted Loki to make this Jarvis imposter disappear so you would come to your senses." He tries to take a step towards Tony, but Barnes's hand immediately snaps up and grabs his shoulder, preventing him from getting any closer. A wise choice, all considered. 

Tony looks between the two of them, disbelieving. "You're all batshit insane, and I do not mean that as a compliment," he declares. He can only imagine what would've happened if Loki had shown up. They would've been lucky if the god had just been in a playful mood, because a pissed-off Loki usually meant that half of New York got trashed even when all of the avengers were assembled. Natasha, Steve and Clint must have been truly desperate to come up with such a moronic plot. 

"Tony, please," Natasha says. 

"No," Tony says, and since they don't seem to be getting the message, he says it again: "No. What the fuck is wrong with all of you? Is your sense of moral superiority really that overdeveloped that you convinced yourself this was a good plan? I can't decide if I'm more baffled or pissed off at this point. I also haven't decided if I want to bring a lawsuit against you three for concocting and carrying out what is easily the stupidest reason for a kidnapping plot _ever_." 

"A lawsuit?" Steve squeaks, eyes going wide. "But Tony, we're just trying to protect you!" 

"I don't need protection from someone like you!" Tony explodes. "I don't need anything from you! I don't want anything from you! If trusting Jarvis is a mistake, and I don't believe for one second that it is, _then it's my mistake to make_. I'm a big boy. An adult. And if any of you ever even think about pulling a stunt like this again..." He lets his voice trail off menacingly, because there are just so many threats he could be making and he knows that their brains will be filling in each and every one. 

"So you want us to just stand by and let Loki control you," says Natasha, folding her arms. 

"I want you all to fuck off because you have no say in my life," Tony replies. He really doesn't know how to lay it out there anymore calmly than that. He's pissed and upset and roughly two seconds away from a panic attack, but more than that he's done with all of them. 

Amazingly, Barnes of all people is the one who picks up on this. He says, "Let's go." 

"But Bucky! We can't just leave Tony alone with something so dangerous," Steve says. "We have to help him." 

"You can help by doing what he wants you to do," Barnes says, voice a low, warning growl. "For once in your life, Steve, stop thinking that you know what's best for everyone. Because you don't. And in this case, you've made a huge mistake and with every word you're only digging your grave that much deeper." 

"But this is -" 

"Enough!" Barnes snaps. "Now move your stubborn ass, or I'll move it for you." He folds his arms and locks eyes with Steve, expression set in stone. 

Steve scowls, looking back at Tony like he wants to say more, but under the weight of Barnes's glare he folds. He shuffles out of the apartment with Barnes on his heels, though Barnes stops at the door and looks pointedly back at Natasha. 

"You too," he says shortly. 

Natasha hesitates, then says to Tony, "It seemed too good to be true." 

The thing is, Tony knows how she feels. It's the same thing that went through his brain every time he woke up in that first week. Honestly, sometimes it still does. But that doesn't do anything to cool his anger. "Considering that your first instinct was to kidnap and drug both of us, I don't give a shit what you think. Get out, Romanov, before I change my mind about that lawsuit." 

She goes, gliding through the door past Barnes. It's his turn to hesitate. "Thor tells me there's a doctor," he says finally. "A guy named Strange?" 

"Yes," Tony says, a little wary. He and a handful of the other avengers met Strange during the war with Thanos. It was not a pleasant experience. Now that he thinks about it, Barnes never did have the pleasure of encountering Strange. He cocks his head, eyeing Barnes. 

"I'm just saying," Barnes says, "maybe they'd be willing to trust Strange's word that Jarvis is okay." 

"Because mine's not enough," Tony says, and that will never cease to hurt. Because Steve and the rest of the team will trust the word of someone who is basically a stranger over him, the guy they've known and fought with for years now. 

Barnes shrugged. "I'm just saying." 

Tony looks at him hard, weighing his options, then shrugs. "I'll think about it." 

The tip of Barnes's head as good as screams 'fair enough' and he disappears from the doorway, probably to go get into a fight with Steve. Tony would almost like to see that, but he's self-aware enough to know that he doesn't have the strength to make it down the steps, much less drag Jarvis's unconscious body with him. He goes back into the bedroom and sinks down onto the bed, then uses Clint's phone to call up some help. Not Happy, because he's not sure he wants this getting back to Pepper, but a security team that can be trusted to keep their mouths shut. 

It takes about twenty minutes for the security team to show up. Not a single one raises an eyebrow at the destroyed apartment, or presses Tony when he tells them that he doesn't want to go to the hospital - and god, it's so nice when they accept this without arguing about it - but that his personal doctor should be called so that she's waiting for them when they get back home. The team carries Jarvis down the stairs and one of them helps Tony down and outside, across the sidewalk and into a non-descript black car. Tony tries hard to stay awake, but he might pass out on the way back to Stark Tower. 

He wakes up about an hour later to find himself in his bed. He's alone, but his phone is on his nightstand and he has a message from his doctor. It's short and to the point, telling him that she's taken a sample of his and Jarvis's blood but that she thinks there should be no after-effects and to call if he or Jarvis starts to feel dizzy, have heart palpitations, shortness of breath, or - and that's when Tony deletes the rest without listening. 

He sits there for a moment. Head in his hands. Trying to make sense of the day. 

This is not where he thought the day would go. 

"Fuck me," he says under his breath, pushing himself up slowly. The bed feels too empty without Jarvis beside him. He almost calls out to FRIDAY automatically, but just as quickly he realizes that she's still offline. Shit. Now he knows what his plans are as soon as he checks up on Jarvis. 

It turns out that Jarvis is in the guest room just down the hall. Tony lingers in the doorway, staring at him. The effects of the drugs have obviously worn off, because now Jarvis is sleeping on his stomach with his right leg and arm flung out across the bed - right where Tony would be - and he's drooling into the pillows. The sight warms something inside of Tony to the point where he feels like he might break apart. 

No. He can't. He has things to do. He backs out of the room and lets Jarvis sleep; he takes the elevator back down to the workshop and settles in to fix whatever damages have been done. It ends up involving a lot of swearing. First, he gets FRIDAY back up and running, which is a task in and of itself (and thank god the hacker didn't actually touch her coding (not that they could've, considering how many protections Tony has woven around it, but still) or Tony would've had to kill someone) so it's more a matter of finding out what the virus is and fixing it. 

He's not even sure who did it at this point. Probably someone hired off the streets. Natasha and Clint have plenty of contacts from their SHIELD days. The thought of an unknown variant messing around in Tony's systems makes him feel a little sick, and he re-doubles his efforts. 

Three solid hours later, FRIDAY says cheerfully, "Good afternoon, Boss. You're late for a meeting with the board." 

Tony smiles at the holographic keyboard, throat tight. "I think they can live without me just this once. I had something more important to do. Someone broke into our systems, my girl. Think you can help me patch the damage to make sure it doesn't happen again?" 

"Of course. Initiating scans now." 

"Good girl," Tony whispers. He watches the screen carefully, waiting to see what her scans bring up, and sucks in a low, angry breath as the data starts to appear. No wonder the hacker got in so easily. Someone, and it doesn't take a genius to guess who, basically plugged in a port that was bugged. Considering that Clint was the one in the tower who kidnapped Tony, Tony's money is on him. But he can't prove it: the video footage from up to ten minutes before his attack is scrambled, and no amount of attempts on FRIDAY's part can save it. 

Either way, it doesn't matter. "FRIDAY, effective immediately, I want you to revoke the access of all of the Avengers except for Rhodey, Thor and Vision," Tony says. He pauses, uncertain, then adds, "And Barnes. Leave those four at the same settings. But everyone else loses all access and has to deal with Roxanne, just like the general public." 

And a very sadistic part of Tony wishes them luck with that. Roxanne is the receptionist who mans the bottom floor of Stark Tower. Her take-no-bullshit attitude, while maintaining a very polite tone and smile, is the reason why she gets paid more than some of the board members. There's no way that she'll let any of the team intimidate, flirt, awe or otherwise coerce her into letting them pass. She once refused to let Tony himself in because his hair was purple, he was wearing a dress, he had no identification, and Pepper wouldn't vouch for him. 

"Done, Boss," FRIDAY says after a moment. "Access for Steve Rogers, Clint Barton, Natasha Romanov, Wanda Maximoff, Bruce Banner, Scott Lang, and Sam Wilson have all been revoked." 

Tony nods, licking his lips. "While you're at, tighten up the access for the Barton and Lang families, T'Challa, and Jane and Darcy." Because at this point, Tony really doesn't know who his friends are and he figures he can't be too safe. He can always lighten it up later, but he never wants something like this to happen again. 

"Done." 

Then it's time to actually time to do some patching. The hacker got in with a bugged port, but then they opened a backdoor in the coding to allow for easier access. Tony hits it with everything he's got, fingers flying over the keys. FRIDAY helps by doing a deep scan of the rest of the systems to ensure that the hacker didn't hide a second backdoor for future access. She finds two and Tony patches those too, implementing a rough set of protections just as an additional precaution. He'll have to come back to them later to fine tune it, but for the time being it makes him feel better to have them in place. 

That's actually how he figures out that Jarvis is awake: Tony is in the right place to see it happen and he knows that the work has to be Jarvis's, because it's a bunch of little nudges that change the coding just enough to make it tighter without requiring a lot of extra time on Tony's part. Tony smiles to himself and sits back to let Jarvis work, locking his hands together in his lap. The final result is up to Tony to implement, of course, and he does so gleefully, watching as the dim red holograms two inches from his face shiver and then go a beautiful, solid blue. 

He'd like to see anyone try and hack into the tower now from the outside. And he's relatively sure it won't be happening from the inside, since the only ones with unrestricted access to the top floors of the tower now are Pepper, Rhodey, Tony, and Jarvis. Thor and Vision will have to announce themselves, but will still be allowed up so long as Tony is present and they're alone. Barnes still has the access he had before: FRIDAY will alert Tony to his presence and it's up to Tony to veto or approve his presence before he's allowed up, but it's a hell of a lot more than the other avengers are going to get right now. Maybe ever again. His good mood sours at the thought, and he sighs to himself. 

"Sir, I think you should come have dinner with me and then rest." 

The familiar voice has Tony spinning around before he even really processes it. Jarvis is standing right behind him, arms loosely crossed, dressed in a pair of low-hanging jeans and one of those ridiculously dorky t-shirts he's become so fond of. This one says 'Come to the Dork Side (We have π)' in black lettering across the front. His eyes are bright with the remains of coding - knowing Jarvis and his perfectionism ways, he's still making minor adjustments to the patches Tony implemented before he woke up - but even through that, he's looking at Tony. 

Tony's throat gets way too tight. Three hours ago, he was convinced he would never hear that voice again. That he'd have to go back to making do with Vision, and pretending that hearing Vision speak didn't make him want to claw his own ears off. He's not sure he can do it. He can suffer through a lot of things, but losing Jarvis again (especially for such a stupid reason) would destroy him. 

"Sir," Jarvis says, all soft and concerned in a way that hurts, stepping closer. He absently pats Dummy's claw on the way by, but his focus is on Tony. "It's okay. I'm okay. You're okay. We're all okay." 

The gentle repetition helps a little, but not enough. Tony shakes his head, chest tight. "I thought they were going to kill you," he croaks. The room blurs way too quickly and he swears under his breath, bringing a hand up to shield his eyes. He's cried more in the last month than he has in the past ten years, but Jarvis is so far under his usual shields that Tony can't help it. 

Hands skate gently across his shoulders before Jarvis pulls him into a hug, tucking Tony's head beneath his chin. Tony is man enough to admit that he outrights clings to Jarvis while he has his little breakdown, breaths coming in shuddery gasps and the world spinning around him, panic jangling through every nerve and setting him even more on edge. Except this time Jarvis is a solid anchor through his panic attack, hands warm on Tony's back and low voice murmuring reassurances into Tony's ears. Every time Jarvis calls him 'Sir' Tony feels like he can breathe a little more. 

"Those assholes," he gasps out. 

"That's one word for them," Jarvis says, hugging him tighter. 

"I have to - we have to talk to them, J, they can't - I can't -" 

"Shh. We can discuss what we plan to do later," Jarvis says softly, touching him with soothing hands. "For right now, just breathe with me." He presses a kiss to the top of Tony's head. "Shall I call up that meditation music?" 

That startles a laugh out of Tony, and he shakes his head. "God no." 

"Why don't we go have a shower together?" Jarvis suggests, and gently encourages Tony to stand. He takes most of Tony's weight - let's be fair, he could easily carry Tony and they both know it, but he seems to be trying to save Tony's dignity for the time being - and helps him into the elevator. Tony turns into him, wrapping both arms around Jarvis's neck. His breathing is evening out, but only because Jarvis is right here with him. He'll break apart if Jarvis leaves. 

"Here, Sir," Jarvis murmurs when the doors open, and does pick him up. Jarvis carries him into the bathroom. There's a confusing couple of minutes where they both try to undress each other and keep knocking hands, but by the end of it Jarvis is chuckling and even Tony has to smile. 

He loves this, how _easy_ Jarvis makes everything. 

The shower is at just the right temperature. Tony goes limp under the heat of the water, sighing into the steam as Jarvis comes up behind him, pressing his front all the way up Tony's back. Tony turns his head, silently asking for a kiss with pursed lips, which Jarvis grants. They kiss lazily for a couple of minutes, until Tony wiggles around and puts his arms around Jarvis's neck again. 

"Have I ever told you how good life-affirming sex can be?" he asks between kisses. The wall of the shower is cold against his back but Jarvis is delightfully warm. 

"I believe you did extol the virtues of that once, yes," Jarvis says dryly. "Then again, you were drunk at the time and couldn't understand why Miss Potts did not want to have this life-affirming sex, so the message was somewhat muddled." 

Tony winces. Not his best moment. "I don't suppose you'd like to give it a shot." He's not exactly feeling sexy at the moment, too strung out on everything that's happened, but he really wants Jarvis close right now. And cuddling on the bed is just not going to be enough. 

"I could be persuaded," Jarvis says, kissing the corner of his mouth. "But only if you eat something first." 

"You're kind of missing the point." 

"Am I?" 

"Life-affirming sex is supposed to be spontaneous," Tony explains, watching as Jarvis reaches for the soap. "It's energy and rutting against each other until you come, usually up against the wall." His brain derails momentarily at that thought, because Jarvis is definitely strong enough to hold him up against the wall. Huh. Maybe he's a little more interested than he thought. 

Jarvis smiles. "If I'm going to fuck you for the first time, it's not going to be up against a wall." 

Yup. Definitely interested. 

Tony makes it a point to speed up the shower, even though he usually enjoys taking long showers with Jarvis. There's something substantially less frightening about the water when Jarvis is with him - not just the sound of Jarvis's wonderfully familiar voice, a voice that has talked to and at Tony for years, but also his hands and his mouth and his body and the way he always, always shampoos his hair and then flicks his head so the shampoo suds go everywhere. 

Fuck, Tony loves him so much. 

He hauls Jarvis in another kiss, this one noticeably more passionate than before, and squirms as Jarvis's soapy hands wander across his body. Over Jarvis's shoulders, Tony grabs the soap so that he can reciprocate. He likes letting his fingers slide up and down Jarvis's spine just for the reaction it prompts; pressure against Jarvis's lower back, right above his buttocks, never fails to make him hot. 

"No food," he says, tipping his head back when Jarvis latches onto his neck. "I want it now. Please?" It doesn't come out as lustful as he wants. Instead, it just sounds all needy and vulnerable. Tony flushes. 

Jarvis, however, just kisses him again and nods. The showerhead moves without either of them touching it, spilling down over their bodies and washing away the soap. Then it shuts itself off - all a product of Jarvis, no doubt. Then Jarvis takes a step back over the side of the tub. He's stark naked and proud, beckoning to Tony with a single finger. Tony follows immediately, not even pausing to dry himself off. 

In the bedroom, Tony sits down on the edge of the bed and then scoots his butt back until he's reclining against the pillows. A chill rolls through him as he remembers waking up here alone not seven hours ago, but then Jarvis is climbing onto the bed and crawling up towards him. His eyes are dark with intent. 

"Please," Tony rasps again, spreading his thighs. 

"I'm right here, Sir," Jarvis says softly, leaning in to kiss him. "I'm not going anywhere. I promise you that." 

But they took you, Tony wants to say, clinging to him. You didn't go, but they took you anyway and I didn't know if I was going to be able to get you back. 

As though hearing the unspoken words, Jarvis starts to touch him again. His fingers skate across Tony's nipples and chest, down to his belly and then to his crotch. Tony's half-hard now, and he opens his mouth to apologize for not being all the way ready to go, but Jarvis shoots him a warning look that as good as forbids him to speak. Tony snaps his lips shut, swallowing hard. 

Very slowly, Jarvis slides down the bed until he's on level with Tony's cock and - like he's been doing it all his life - sucks that cock into his mouth and down his throat like he's starving for it. A strangled sound catches in Tony's throat and his hips try to jerk, but Jarvis is holding him down with ease. All he can do is lay there while Jarvis's throat muscles work around his cock, and it's maddening in the best way. 

"J," he whines, squirming when one of Jarvis's hands cups his balls. His hands end up in Jarvis's hair, not pulling, just petting. "J, don't torture me like this. Come on." He's definitely fully hard now, and frankly he would challenge anyone in the world not to get turned on by this.

Jarvis raises a single eyebrow and pulls back agonizingly slowly, bringing his tongue into play, eventually giving a gentle lick to the tip that makes Tony squeak before he pulls off completely. "Lube?" 

"Lube?" Tony repeats dumbly, too busy watching Jarvis's shiny lips to really understand the question. 

"In the bedside drawer," Jarvis says patiently, though he's smirking. "I've ordered you replacements enough times to know where you keep it." 

Oh. Lube. Jarvis is a genius. Tony fumbles with the nightstand and pulls out a tube. It's been months since the last time he used it for this, and he knows that he'll be tight. But there's no fear or hesitation whatsoever in handing it over to Jarvis for him to use. He trusts Jarvis not to hurt him. 

Torture, on the other hand, turns out to be something different entirely. He ends up yanking a pillow over his blushing face just to help muffle the embarrassing sounds that Jarvis is determined to pull out of him; he's acting like Tony is some fragile flower that's going to break if he's even a little bit rough, slowly pumping two fingers in and out of Tony like it's his first time. 

Which Jarvis knows it's not. Tony's had sex here plenty of times. No lover has ever driven him quite this insane with just two fingers though. He bites his lip but still ends up moaning into the pillow when Jarvis's thumb starts massaging his taint, stimulating his prostate from the outside. 

"You're killing me," he says finally. "This is abject cruelty and I should be reporting you - oh!" He forgets what he's saying when Jarvis twists his hand just right. 

"The sounds you're making would suggest differently," Jarvis says, sounding as serene as though they're just cuddling on the bed. He slips in a third finger and Tony chokes on his response, hips bucking. 

"Oh god," he gasps, squeezing his eyes shut when all three fingers find his prostate. 

"Are you ready, Sir?" 

"Yes! Fuck yes!" 

"Then remove the pillow." Jarvis sounds way too amused. Tony throws the pillow aside so vehemently it hits the opposite wall and glares at him. 

"You're a sadist," he hisses. 

Jarvis chuckles. "I just know you," he purrs, a deep, throaty sound that only turns Tony on more. 

"What do you mean by that?" Tony demands. "If you know me, you know I like it hard. I like the burn. That means you need to staaaaaaa..." He trails off into a moan as a fourth finger slides in. "Sta - hah - stop teasing me and fuck me already!" 

"I know that's what you tell people," Jarvis says with a nod, finally pulling his fingers out. He slicks up his cock with more lube, than shifts a little bit closer and lines himself up. Tony tries to relax through the initial push, the last of the panic in the back of his head fading away as the blunt pressure takes over. It's always like this, that moment when he feels like he's overfull, and then Jarvis is sliding so deep that his balls are hitting Tony's ass and then it's just good because Jarvis is learning over him, inside him, and Tony can breathe now. 

"I tell people the truth," he says when he can speak again, trying to appear unaffected. 

Jarvis actually snorts, though his expression is more strained now. "You tell them what you think is the truth," he corrects. "When I know that the truth is that you enjoy slow sex far more. You like it when your lovers take their time so that you can fully enjoy it." 

"That's a lie!" Tony sputters. 

"I've monitored your sexual activities for years, Sir," Jarvis reminds him. "I know it's not a lie. I could tell by your body's response to stimulus. And I understand now that you didn't feel you could trust anyone to take their time." He rocks his hips slowly, as though getting a feel for it, and his lips part with the pleasure. "You didn't trust anyone to treat you right because they didn't. But I will." 

Tony shivers. He can't help it. He's used to being able to hide from people, but it's like Jarvis sees straight through him. He doesn't even have the words to protest anymore, because Jarvis knows it's a lie. The truth is, he does enjoy rough sex just as much as he enjoys a quickie. But there is something to be said for taking your time, for letting the pleasure build up slowly until it sweeps you and your partner away. He's just never admitted that to anyone, not even Pepper, less his precious reputation take a beating. 

And yeah, okay, he didn't think anyone would want that with him. 

Jarvis does, though. He wants it bad. It's written all over his face as he starts to fuck Tony slowly, pushing all the way in before pulling almost all the way out. Each time is a fresh reminder that Jarvis is still here with him and Tony can't help trying to get closer, sliding arms and legs around Jarvis to hold on, tucking his face into Jarvis's throat and nibbling at the skin. 

"I trust you, J," he whispers, tipping his head so that their eyes meet. 

"I love you, Tony," Jarvis answers, still looking him in the eyes, letting Tony see the truth of that statement. Tony shivers again and keeps shivering, feels like this time he really is shaking to pieces as the tears come to his eyes and start to slide down his face. Jarvis just keeps fucking him slowly through it, a steady presence that will never let Tony fall apart completely, because he's not going anywhere and he knows how to put the pieces that make up Tony Stark back together. 

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [tumblr](http://tsuki-chibi.tumblr.com/).


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